Retributi0n
by theopshop
Summary: When the Holloway family sends an assassin after Gaige, she thinks she's pretty safe - after all, she helped kill Handsome Jack. But this is no ordinary assassin, and she's going to need all the help she can get. Rated for violence.
1. Pr0fessi0nal

**Pr0fessi0nal**

"I assure you, he is the best."

The two men sat across from each other in a dark and smoke-filled room. The shorter man, the one who had spoken, pushed a sheet of paper across the table. The taller man chomped on his cigar as he scanned the paper. The haze in the room became even thicker, if that was possible.

"Is that so? And who is he?"

"I don't know," admitted the shorter man. "All I know is, he's a member of the most elite group of assassins in the known world. There's only ten of them, and they're identified numerically rather than by name."

"I see." The tall man digested all of this while inhaling cigar smoke. "His record?"

"One hundred percent success rate," said the short man. "There is nobody as good as him."

"But you looked into someone else first, I believe?"

"Yes. Another of the group of ten. But he was not suitable."

"Oh? Why?"

"You know, of course, that a group of mercenaries known as the Vault Hunters recently liberated the border planet Pandora from the control of the multinational corporation Hyperion, and that one of these so-called Vault Hunters was the girl in question?" The tall man nodded mutely. "The first assassin I looked at, number zero, was another of those Vault Hunters. As such, he would likely be… acquainted with the girl and may be unwilling to carry out what you have in mind."

"I see. And this man?"

"This man is the next numerically in the group of ten. Assassin number one."

"I see." The tall man mulled this over in his head as he finished his cigar. "Well, our last attempt to take care of the girl was a disaster. We need a professional."

"This man is as professional as they come." Assuming he is a man, the short man continued in his head.

The tall man stubbed out his cigar and looked up from the paper.

"Get him."

* * *

The next day, in the same smoke filled room, the two men met again. This time, however, they were joined by a third man. He was tall, and dressed in a full-body stealth suit with the number 1 emblazoned on the front of it. He wore a black helmet, the angles and black glass of which made him look somewhat vicious. He was completely silent when he moved, and refused all offers of food, drink and cigars.

"Get to it," he said tersely.

"We would like you to kill somebody for us," blustered the small man, more than a little nervous in the presence of the universe's greatest killing machine. The assassin turned to look at him slowly, and there was a long pause.

"Obviously," said the assassin eventually, not bothering to conceal the contempt in his voice. The small man shrunk in his seat.

"The person we have in mind," picked up the tall man, "is an eighteen year old Vault Hunter by the name of Gaige. She is currently -"

"On Pandora," interrupted the assassin, knowing exactly who the tall man was talking about. "One of six. Killed Handsome Jack. Short, red hair, one metal arm. Killer robot as a pet." None of it was a question.

"That's her," said the tall man, impressed despite himself.

"Reason."

"Her robot killed my daughter."

"Desired manner of death."

"I don't care," said the tall man, "so long as she dies screaming."

The assassin nodded once. "Payment up front."

"I don't think -"

"Payment up front." This time the assassin had menace in his voice.

"Fine." The tall man counted out the money and pushed it across the table. The assassin swept it into his bag and stood up.

"It shall be done. I will report back when the objective is completed."

"If you could bring entertaining video footage of her death with you, I would appreciate it."

"Yes."

The tall man smiled, then stood up and extended a hand. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir."

The assassin paused, then gripped the tall man's hand. "Call me '0ne'."


	2. Acti0nable

**Acti0nable**

Zer0 crouched behind a rock, his eye to the scope of his sniper rifle. Only two guards? Unusual for the Bloodshots. Probably more waiting behind cover. Still, may as well get started.

"I'll take these two," he muttered to Gaige. "If more come out, I'll pick them off from up here, and you head into the fray."

"Right," Gaige whispered back. She peered over the rock as Zer0 took careful aim. He squeezeed the trigger – once, twice. His aim was unfaltering.

Immediately, an alarm went off, and bandits started to emerge from everywhere. Gaige brandished her shotgun, digistructed Deathtrap into existence and charged forward. Zer0 allowed himself a sight grin behind his helmet before returning to his rifle and continuing to perform carefully placed brain surgery on the bandits while Gaige and Deathtrap sliced through the ranks. Within a few minutes, the carnage was over. Gaige was panting slightly as Zer0 joined her amidst the carnage.

"That went well."

"Yes," replied Zer0. "Now let's get what we came for."

They performed a quick search of the camp and quickly located the fuel cells they had come looking for in a small run-down building. They stowed them in their backpacks quickly – that would keep Sanctuary's engines running. Hopefully.

After Gaige had retrieved a nice looking pistol from one of the bandit corpses, they headed back across Three Horns to the Happy Pig Motel, where they parked and headed for the Fast Travel station, eager to get home. As enjoyable as killing bandits was, mused Zer0, it was always nice to -

The hairs on the back of his neck pricked up suddenly. He stopped in his tracks, and Gaige walked into him.

"Hey! What -"

"Shh!" Zer0 put a finger to her lips quickly and surveyed the area. Nothing to be seen anywhere. No bandits, no Hyperion troops… but there was something. And he didn't like it.

"We're being watched," muttered Zer0.

"Watched?" hissed Gaige. "But -"

"Come on," he said. "Let's get back to Sanctuary. We'll be safe there." He hoped.

* * *

Unexpected twist, thought 0ne as he uncloaked. He surveyed the area quickly, then cloaked again to make his way over to the Fast Travel station and back to his ship.

For the first time in several years, a smile wormed its way onto 0ne's face under his helmet. He rubbed his hands together, causing a sickly metallic grating noise. This was going to be a fun job.

* * *

"So who's this assassin, then? A friend of yours?"

The two of them had been back in Sanctuary for about an hour now. Scooter was happy with the fuel cells they had brought him – the city wouldn't fall out of the sky today, anyway.

"No."

The ghost of a smile tweaked Gaige's lips. "Because you have no friends, right?"

Zer0 looked at her sternly. "Now is not the time. Although I will have you know -"

"That I'm not far wrong?" said Gaige, counting the syllables on her hand. Zer0 nodded.

"Not in my business. Assassins do not make friends. We make enemies."

Gaige smirked slightly. Zer0 quickly reorientated the conversation.

"You've heard of the Group of Ten?"

"You mean the super-secret super-awesome club of super-assassins?"

"Close enough," sighed Zer0. "My guess is that it's one of them."

"Someone hired an awesome ninja assassin to kill us? Awesome!"

"It is not awesome. If I'm right, there'll be trouble. I'm worried for you."

"Worried for me? As sweet as that is," replied Gaige, "I can take care of myself. Plus, what about you? Surely you're a bigger target than I am."

Zer0 hesitated, then sighed. "Not if I am right. No contracts on each other – the rules of the Group."

Gaige blinked. "Holy crap – you're a super-secret super-awesome super-assassin? That's so cool! I should have guessed! Is that why you have such awesome tech? And do you guys have, like, parties and stuff? That would be awesome! Actually, it probably wouldn't, cause if they're all like you they'd -"

"Gaige. Please concentrate."

"- so I guess – huh? Oh right, possible violent death or something, right? Sorry. All right, fine. So let's assume they're here to kill me. Are you saying that one assassin is a bigger threat than Handsome Jack and his robot army?"

"If I'm right? Yes."

"So… should I be looking out for anything when we go out on jobs? Like, will he disguise himself or something?"

"No, no disguises. Why disguise when you have stealth? Unnecessary."

"So -"

"Also," interrupted Zer0, "I don't think you should be going out on jobs for a while."

"What? No way. I mean, this assassin might be tough, but come on. Can't be any tougher than Terramorphous, and we've killed him like half a dozen times!"

"If he wants you dead," replied Zer0, "we will need a strategy. We can't just jump in."

"You say that like 'just jump in' isn't a strategy."

"It isn't."

"It's never failed me," retorted Gaige. Zer0 rubbed a hand over his helmet in exasperation.

"Planning is crucial. Stay here in Sanctuary. Just for the time being."

Gaige grumbled a half-hearted protest under her breath, but Zer0 knew full well that she couldn't keep disagreeing with him. He was her weakness – and she was his. That's what made this so dangerous.

* * *

In the firing range of Marcus' store, Maya had the sights of her sniper rifle positioned carefully over the struggling bandit's head. She squeezed the trigger – once, twice, three times. The first two shots landed perfectly, but the third missed, hitting the wall behind.

"Two would have been enough."

Maya was not yet used to Zer0's ability to sneak up on anyone. Surprised, she dropped her gun, barely missing her foot.

"You've got to stop doing that," she muttered. "One of these days I'm going to have a bladed weapon and then I might lose a toe."

"I apologise. I require your talents – could I have a word?"

"Sneaking up on someone and then asking for a favour is not really a good idea, but go ahead."

Zer0 went ahead. He told her about the assassin, and who he thought the assassin was. He told her his suspicions, leaving out the part about him being part of the Group of Ten. Finally, he asked for her help.

"So you just want me to keep an eye on Gaige?"

Zer0 nodded. "I asked her to stay in Sanctuary. But -"

"Yeah, I understand. Okay, I'll do what I can." Maya turned back to the bandit and levelled her rifle.

"Thank you."

Maya fired twice, both shots hitting their mark. "You don't often ask for help with this sort of thing. Two heads are better than one, you know."

Zer0 paused. "No… Two headshots are better than one."

* * *

Honestly, 0ne thought, Vault Hunters are overrated. Especially this girl. It took him less than two minutes to hack her ECHO and pinpoint her location when he first arrived. Someone calling themselves "mechromancer" really should be more of a technological challenge than this. Her robot might cause some problems, but that's easily dealt with. He'd be done with her by now if she hadn't been with Zer0. He hadn't been expecting that.

Still, the added challenge was always good… and if it meant a chance to kill two birds with one stone, then that was even better. Knowing Zer0, he'll be trying to convince her to stay in the flying city. But she's impatient. Impatient and a little too self-confident. How long will it be before she can't resist killing something and just has to sneak down to the surface? Two days, he guessed, three days tops. He turned back to the console, watching the small red dot marking the girl's position blinking steadily within Sanctuary.

Too easy.

* * *

 _A/N: This isn't going to go on for more than another chapter or two; I don't really think I can drag it out for that long and I don't really want to. Still, hope it's interesting, and apologies for the slow updates._


	3. Tensi0n

**Tensi0n**

Standing cloaked in the corner of Marcus' firing range, Zer0 watched as Gaige fired round after round from her shotgun into the target's head. Part of him was impressed by her skill – even with steadily increasing anarchy levels, her rounds still connected with the struggling bandit's head nearly every time. To be fair, her weapon was unusually accurate for a shotgun, being of Hyperion manufacture, but still.

Zer0 was growing worried – it had been nearly two days since they'd been out to Three Horns for the fuel cells. So far, Gaige had not left Sanctuary, but Zer0 was worried about her growing aggression. She'd been spending more and more time down in the firing range, filling the restrained bandit with shotgun pellets. Sometimes, she'd be there for hours at a time, according to Marcus, only emerging to buy ammo before going back in.

"Never seen anything quite like it," Marcus had said to Zer0. "I've made quite a tidy profit just off of her in the last day or two."

"She just stands there and shoots?"

"Yep. Blazes away to her heart's content. I'm going to need a new test dummy soon if she keeps this up. Something wrong?"

"Restrained aggression. She does not like being cooped up; she must kill something."

"Hm." Marcus drummed his fingers on the counter. "Well, doesn't bother me – so long as she keeps buying ammo, I'm happy."

* * *

Dinner that night was a subdued affair. Gaige ate much less than she usually did and spoke very little, before excusing herself quietly after less than fifteen minutes. Even Zer0, who ate and drank very little, usually stayed to hear any stories of the day – despite being generally uninterested, he considered it impolite to leave too early.

After Gaige had left the room, the conversation paused briefly. Zer0 and Maya shared a glance. Axton and Salvador both shot Zer0 questioning looks, and even Krieg paused in mid-rant to look briefly at the door before continuing to ramble about trains. Zer0 stood up smoothly and made his own excuses before slipping out the door.

The door of Gaige's room was locked when he arrived. He tapped lightly on the timber.

"Please go away, Zer0," came Gaige's voice from inside the room. A small part of Zer0's brain was impressed that she was able to recognise his knock.

"I will not do so," he replied. "I am worried about you. Please open the door."

There was silence for a moment inside, then the door opened just a crack. Gaige poked her head out – there were bags under her eyes and her hair was down and messy. For a split second, Zer0 was distracted by the length of her hair, but quickly mentally shook himself off.

"You are frustrated," said Zer0.

"I'm not -"

"It wasn't a question." Zer0 tilted his head to one side as he interrupted Gaige. "I know you are, and I'm sorry. I know how frustrating it must be to be cooped up here. I would hate it too."

For a second, Gaige mentally debated whether to shout at him. Eventually she decided that that would be pointless. "I'll be fine, Zer0. I just need time to relax. Please stop worrying."

Unsure whether it was intentional or not, Zer0 elected to ignore the fact that Gaige had just spoken in haiku.

"It is getting late. We must discuss strategy; but in the morning."

"Fine. Good night, Zer0." Gaige closed the door in the assassin's face.

"Good night," said Zer0 to the door, before striding off down the hallway. Outside his bedroom, he found Maya waiting.

"Is she all right?"

"She says so."

"Do you believe her?"

"Not entirely. She spent hours in Marcus' firing range today. She's frustrated. Tomorrow we must talk about how to deal with this."

"Do we tell the others? They're getting worried."

Zer0 hesitated briefly. "No. At this stage, the less they know the better."

"You don't trust them?"

"I trust them. But if they are attacked, I would rather they not know our plans."

Maya frowned. "So why did you tell me?"

"You're a siren. You can hold your own against this assassin. The others can't."

"What about -"

"Lilith is like Gaige – too rash, too hasty. We cannot afford a mistake."

Maya nodded. "Let's talk in the morning. Sleep well, Zer0."

"Good night, Maya."

* * *

Gaige waited, teeth gritted and fists clenched. She was at her wit's end. Planning? Strategy? No. Not now. Screw this.

Her watch clicked past midnight. She gathered her things. Her favourite shield. Her best weapons. All the ammo she could carry. Finally, she poked her head out the door. It was quiet – deserted. Safe. She hoped. At this time of night, even Zer0 would be asleep. She crept out and down the stairs, avoiding the notoriously creaky one, and out into the city.

The night air was cold, and it bit against her skin. Unpertubed, she made her way across the courtyard, around the city's purring main engine, and into Pierce Station.

It was dark inside, save for the blue glow of the Fast Travel station. She laid a hand on it, not caring where she ended up.

* * *

0ne was in his exercise room performing his morning routine when his ECHO unit chimed. Sheathing his sword, he flicked the communicator open and scanned the message that the ship's computer had sent him.

Aha. Gotcha. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he replaced his helmet and swept over to the bridge. The red light blinked softly on the screen, no longer in Sanctuary. He looked at the date on his calendar – two days since he'd arrived. He was right again. Smiling slightly, he armed himself quickly and made his way to the transport dock.

* * *

Zer0 made his way silently down the hallway, still slightly groggy from sleep, towards the training room. He always got up this early to train – nobody else was using the equipment at this time of day.

As he reached the door to the training room, he paused and turned around. No, he hadn't been mistaken – Gaige's door was ajar.

Part of his brain wanted to believe that she was getting something to eat, perhaps, or going to the bathroom. But that part of his brain was quickly overridden by the rest of his brain, and he hurried back down to the open door. Still quiet, in an effort not to disturb her if she was in there, he pushed the door open and poked his head in.

Gaige was definitely not there. He switched his helmet to night vision and scanned the room. Her bed had clearly not been slept in. He refocused his gaze onto the cabinet where she kept her weapons. Her best shotgun was missing, along with several other weapons and other pieces of gear. God damn it! He cursed under his breath and ran back to his room, pulling out his ECHO unit and running a scan to pinpoint her location while grabbing his own gear.

Should he wake Maya? No – the siren did not like being woken up this early, and it would take her too long to get ready. There was no way of knowing how long Gaige had been gone for, so he had no time to waste. He tore a sheet of paper off his notepad and scribbled a quick note. His ECHO beeped. He glanced at it, then finished the note, slipped it under Maya's door and took the stairs two at a time, cursing himself as much as Gaige.

He just hoped he was in time.


	4. Dec0y

**Dec0y**

Gaige was practically giggling as she pulled her sandskiff back into the Oasis docks. She was dizzy from the adrenalin coursing through her body. Those pirates hadn't known what hit them.

She felt much better now. The barrel of her shotgun was still warm to the touch as she walked along the docks and into the deserted town. It was growing lighter; she glanced up at the Hyperion moonbase as she passed the fountain. The morning lunar supply shots were already under way. She should really get -

Gaige blinked and redirected her gaze to the top of the nearby buildings. She could have sworn she'd seen movement up there. After a second, she shook herself off. It was probably a stalker, or a bird flying by, or Shade even. If it was anything at all, that is – goddamn Zer0 and his assassin paranoia, it was rubbing off on her. Yes, it was just a trick of the light. She started making her way down towards the outskirts of the town.

The crack of a sniper rifle split the silence. Gaige spun around, looking back at the top of the building she'd been looking at before. This time there was no mistaking it – there was a dark figure up there, silhouetted against the blue light of the moonbase. Gaige raised her left arm to summon Deathtrap, before realising that the shot had pierced through the wiring in the arm, rendering it useless. Gripping her shotgun tightly, she turned and broke into a run. The Fast Travel station was not far, and the assassin was behind her on the roof. She could make it easily so long as she kept moving.

She looked back at the roof. The waiting silhouette had not moved. Even as she watched, however, it vanished.

It took her a second to realise what this meant, and this was not quick enough. While her head was turned, she collided with something rather large and cold. The large cold something proceeded to knee her in the stomach. Winded, she collapsed backwards onto the ground. Her shotgun clattered away over the bricks. The large cold something placed its boot on her chest and bent down, siezing her by the arm and pulling her to her feet.

Catching her breath at last, she struggled for her other weapons with her free hand. The assassin laughed coldly – she quickly found out that he had already disarmed her. Blinking dust out of her eyes, she looked up at the assassin. He was tall – as tall as Zer0 – and clad in a similar stealth suit. His helmet, however, was more angled than Zer0's was, and his suit was emblazoned with the number 1 over about where his heart was, assuming he was human.

"Nice to meet you," sneered the assassin. His voice was similar to Zer0's, but with a far more menacing undertone.

"Who the fu-"

"Now, now. Language." The assassin smiled. Even though Gaige could not see his face, she could tell that he was smiling, and she didn't like it.

"I am 0ne," continued 0ne. "Holloway sent me. He asked me to convey his… warmest regards." The sarcasm in the last two words bit deep.

"So you're here to kill me?" Gaige managed. "Then just kill me already. Spare me the… joviality." Gaige struck back with her own sarcasm, which just made 0ne laugh.

"No, no, no… that wouldn't be good enough for my employer. I have instructions, and I quote, that you are to die screaming."

Gaige lashed out with her leg. She felt a surge of hope when it connected with 0ne's leg, but that hope was quickly crushed as he kneed her in the stomach again.

0ne chuckled as Gaige doubled over as best she could. He bent down and spoke into her ear.

"I would advise against trying to escape, little lady. It'll just work out worse for you in the end."

0ne paused and straightened up, apparently listening for something. Still keeping a tight grip on Gaige, he raised his pistol in his free hand, turned and fired once. There was a muffled shout of pain, and Zer0 uncloaked several metres up the road, clutching his right arm. 0ne dragged Gaige with him over to Zer0, placed his boot on Zer0's chest and pushed him backwards onto the road.

"Sloppy, Zer0. Sloppy." 0ne laughed harshly again. "See what happens when you develop feelings for someone? When they're in danger, your reason clouds. You blunder in. You make mistakes. And then it all goes wrong."

Zer0 groaned and turned his head to look at Gaige. Even without an emoticon on his helmet, Gaige was stabbed by a pang of regret.

"Zer0… I'm sorry."

Zer0 shook his head. Gaige wasn't sure how to interpret this.

"Honestly," muttered 0ne. "You two are making me sick."

A door opened nearby, and a slightly oversized head with a very oversized hat on poked out.

"What's going on? I heard shots -" Shade made a squeaking noise of terror, like a mouse being trodden on, as he saw 0ne. The assassin turned his head to look at Shade.

"Back inside, little man, or you're next."

Shade obliged immediately with another squeaky noise, and the door banged closed. Gaige swore under her breath. 0ne kneed her again.

"What have I said about language?" The assassin chuckled. "Anyway, I've got to make the little lady here suffer. I think a good start to that would be to dispose of my… old friend here." The sarcasm stung Gaige again. "Seeing as you two seem… attached to each other."

"Don't!" gasped Gaige, still struggling. "You came for me, leave him!"

"You're hardly in a position to bargain with me, little lady. And besides, when I learnt that Zer0 was here as well… well, let's just say I could hardly miss an opportunity like this."

"No contracts on each other, 0ne," gasped Zer0, getting his breath back.

"I know the rules," sneered 0ne. "I don't have a contract on you. Nothing in the rules says I can't put a bullet in your brain just because I don't like you. We'll just call it…" here 0ne paused, and Gaige could tell he was grinning under his helmet, "freelancing. Besides, I'm doing the Group a favour by getting rid of you. You've gone soft, Zer0. An assassin who goes soft is as good as dead anyway."

"You can't -"

"I can, and I'm going to!" snapped 0ne, losing his patience. "Enough messing around!" He raised his pistol arm. "I'll give you ten seconds to think up some memorable last words."

"You bastard."

"Uninventive. Shame. We'll leave it at that, shall we?"

"No," said a new voice. 0ne swung around in a smooth movement and pointed his pistol at the newcomer. She was tall, he saw, and looked thoroughly pissed off. Her submachine gun was directed at 0ne's chest.

"Oho," he chuckled, "and what are you going to do about it, my dear?"

"This," said the woman, and raised her left fist. There was a flash of blue, and 0ne shouted as he was lifted several feet into the air. Gaige fell to the ground. Zer0, on the other hand, leapt up in a smooth motion and drew his sword with his left hand.

"Well timed, Maya," he said, as Gaige scrambled for her shotgun and stood up as well.

"Yes. Got your note," said Maya. "Then Shade ECHOed me. Said you were in a bit of a situation. Thought I'd better hurry." She unclenched her fist, and 0ne fell out of the air, landing on his feet. Zer0 immediately kicked him in the chest, causing him to sprawl backwards onto the ground, and directed his sword at 0ne's chest. The assassin looked up at the assassin and mamaged a weak chuckle.

"You son of a bitch."

"Uninventive," said Zer0. "Shame. We'll leave it at that, shall we?" He drove his sword forward, then pulled it back. 0ne made no further comment. "Going soft, my ass."

Gaige and Maya lowered their weapons. Zer0 sheathed his sword, then turned to Gaige.

"You left the city."

"I know…" Gaige hung her head.

"I warned you not to leave the city."

"I know…"

"This was why."

"I know!" Gaige rushed forward and threw her arms around Zer0, burying her face in his chest. "I'm sorry…"

Zer0 patted Gaige on the shoulder slightly awkwardly. "You're safe, and that's what matters."

Maya cleared her throat, and Gaige and Zer0 pulled apart. Gaige blushed slightly.

"I think we should continue this in Sanctuary," said the siren. "The others will be wondering why I sprinted away this morning."

"What do we do with…" Gaige poked 0ne's body with her foot.

"Leave him," said Zer0. "These things tend to clear themselves up in the end."

* * *

When they got back to Sanctuary, it became clear that Zer0 was quite cross with Gaige. After escorting her into the Crimson Raiders HQ, he sat her down and spent the next five minutes explaining to her, in great detail, exactly how stupid she had been. Maya, Lilith and Brick watched on, hardly daring to interrupt Zer0. As best she could, Maya explained to them the events of the last few days. Eventaully, Zer0 stopped talking and sighed, sitting back in his seat.

"All right? Good. Now please," he said, by means of a conclusion, "remember that you and I are only still alive because we are very lucky, and because of Maya."

"Sorry…" said Gaige in a very small voice. Zer0 hesitated, and flashed **:)** onto his helmet.

"It's all right. You're alive, okay? I'm alive." Gaige hesitated, then smiled as well.

"Good. Now, go have something to eat, and repair your arm. You look dreadful."

"You don't look so hot yourself, Slab," said Brick, clapping an enormous hand on Zer0's shoulder and almost tipping him out of his chair. "Follow your own advice."

"Yeah… we need to repair your arm too," said Gaige. "Come on. Let me get my tools."

* * *

"Good morning, sir."

Mr Holloway sat up in bed and yawned as his butler opened the curtains, letting the sunlight stream in.

"Ah… good morning, Basil." He stretched his arms out. "Anything interesting in the news this morning?"

"Not that I've seen, sir." The butler placed a tray on the bed. "Breakfast, sir."

"You are a gem." Holloway tucked in to his bacon while the butler filled the coffee cup.

"This morning's post, sir." The butler placed a pile of letters on the side of the tray. "There's a letter there with a Pandoran postmark."

"Excellent!" said Holloway, putting down his knife and fork and picking up his coffee cup. "That'll be news from 0ne. Read it out for me, would you?" Holloway took a sip of coffee.

The butler picked up the envelope from the pile and slit it open with his fingernail, pulling out and unfolding the letter inside. He hesitated.

"This may not be the news you are expecting, sir."

"Rubbish, man. Go on, read it!"

The butler cleared his throat quietly and looked down at the paper. "'Dear Mr Holloway, is that all you got? Love, Gaige. P.S. Sorry I killed your daughter.'"

Holloway spat coffee across the bed.

* * *

 _A/N: And that, I think, is the end of that. Hope it's been enjoyable, and sorry if it's wound up a tad shorter than people would have liked. Like I said back in chapter 2, I didn't think I could draw it out too far - it would have just gotten repetitive. Catch you all later, and thanks for the support!_


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